Nunsense Promptbook

Peyton Helene McCarthy\u27s promptbook submission for her Senior Project in stage management (SM): SMing UMW Theatre\u27s fall 2024 production of Nunsense by Dan Goggin NOTE: SM documentation templates and formatting included in Peyton\u27s promptbook were directly provided and/or inspired by Brandon Prendergast\u27s professional paperwork and intellectual property

Degradation of Vascular Networks in a HUVEC Model of DM1

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a genetic disease that causes muscle wasting and affects multiple organ systems. DM1 is caused by expanded CTG repeats in the 3’ untranslated region of the dystrophia myotonica protein kinase (DMPK) gene (Harper, 2001). Skeletal muscle relies on capillaries for nutrient delivery and waste clearance (Olfert, 2016). Skeletal muscle and capillaries communicate via a variety of chemicals, including PDGF-BB which both skeletal muscle and endothelial cells secrete and have receptors for (Hamaguchi, 2023). Platelet derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ), when bound to platelet derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB), induces angiogenesis (Wang, 2012). In a mouse model of DM1, PDGFRβ signaling was found to be deregulated (Morriss, 2018). Previously unpublished data from our lab revealed human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) transfected with expanded CTG repeats displayed severe endothelial tube degradation over a 24-hour period based on length and width measurements. At hours 15, 18, 21, and 24, significant degradation of length (µm) was observed in DM1 compared to control transfection conditions and at hour 18, significant width (µm) degradation was also observed. Future work is needed to determine whether deregulated PDGFRβ signaling is a cause of endothelial tube degradation observed in DM1

The World Before the After: How Folktales Relay the Heart of Jewish Mysticism\u27s Afterlife Beliefs

There is a deeper motive than reward and punishment in the eschatological thought of the Jewish mystics. The underlying longing to earn a desired afterlife is the hunger for liberation– the freedom from physical, spiritual, and eternal exile from God, the source of sacred abundance and wholeness. Folktales told and retold by Kabbalistic, Lurianic, and Hasidic communities illuminate this core desire. Through stories of yearning for the Messiah and ascent to the Divine abode, to the legends of inescapable reincarnation and the purifying flames of Gehenna, the folktale is a medium for the storyteller to communicate with the receiver messages regarding that which is most treasured and valued among the cultural consciousness

Japan and Its Hesitation in Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage

Japan is the only state in the G7 that has not legalized same-sex marriages despite increasing support of LGBTQ+ rights and norms for respecting human rights. While some local governments and constitutional courts have made progress with recognizing same-sex partnerships and deeming the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional, the Japanese national government has not enacted comprehensive pro-LGBTQ+ policy. Instead, the Diet (Japan’s legislative body) passed the “LGBT Understanding and Enhancement Bill” in 2023, which is a law that fails to legally recognize same-sex marriage or provide protections. This project aims to explore Japan’s hesitancy by examining politics, culture, history, and intersectional understandings of sexuality, class, gender, and nationality. A comparative case-study of Taiwan offers useful insights for same-sex marriage in East Asia. In research, Taiwan is a poster-nation for Japan’s neighboring countries in legalizing same-sex marriage driven by a trifecta of factors: a liberal and progressive political elite, a robust and visible domestic LGBTQ+ movement, and a younger generation that tends to be more accepting of LGBTQ+ people and same sex marriage. This trifecta, named the ‘Rainbow Triangle’ by Frederic Krumbein, is an available and useful tool for analyzing the factors behind Japan’s reluctance in legalizing same-sex marriage. While the Japanese youth is reported to be more supportive of the LGBTQ+ community, national political institutions and politicians have not prioritized LGBTQ+ issues, and the style of the Japanese LGBTQ+ movement, though active, does not have the same level of mainstream visibility or influence as in Taiwan

Reading the Fine Print: Poetry and Community on Campus

This capstone presentation is the culmination of a creative project that aimed to promote poetry through Fine Print, UMW’s poetry club on campus. The goal was to make poetry accessible for all on campus and build a specific community that celebrates it. Beyond spreading love of poetry, the purpose of this capstone was to leave Fine Print in a good place by building the club’s long-term engagement and participation, which grew exponentially throughout the semester. Although still a tight-knit community of poets, Fine Print encourages casual attendance to both events and meetings by anybody who finds it intriguing. Through regular bi-monthly meetings and events, other poets on campus have become engaged in Fine Print’s writing community and have found poetry in the mundane. This project explores three main takeaways: Even your worst poetry is worth writing, even your worst poetry is worth reading aloud, and any project is worth it when there is a community of people supporting you throughout

“Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes”: Singular Female Perspectives in As I Lay Dying and Ulysses

William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and James Joyce’s Ulysses utilize both multiple perspectives, but what they both share is a single chapter granted to a complex maternal figure. With Addie Bundren in As I Lay Dying, her chapter comes in the middle, and she quickly breaks down any notions the family had of her in the first half of the novel, altering the tone and complicating the family’s grief. Conversely, Molly Bloom’s singular chapter in Ulysses are the final words of a novel hundreds of pages in length. Through pure stream of consciousness, she shares the grossest parts of her mind, adding a realistic end to the novel’s affirmation of life. These women are vital parts of their respective stories, deepening their meanings by adding a realistic complexity. They are only given singular chapters, but they stick in the minds of their readers with as much prominence as those given pages upon pages of their voice

Damaging Ramifications to Unprocessed Trauma: Intergenerational Alcoholism in James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury

In my essay, I examine how James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury display how dysfunctional patterns of behavior by alcoholic fathers perpetuate intergenerational patterns of emotional immaturity and stunted individual development for their oldest sons. I explore parental alcoholism’s negative effect on a child through the characters of Stephen Dedalus in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Quentin Compson in The Sound and the Fury. I investigate the similarities between Stephen and Quentin, who, just like Joyce and Faulkner, are each the oldest sons of alcoholic fathers in families facing social and economic hardship in response to national change. I analyze Stephen’s father, Simon Dedalus, and how his alcoholic behavior contributes to Stephen’s shame and worthlessness, fueling his obsession with defining his place in the world. Additionally, Quentin’s father, Jason Compson’s, alcoholic behavior feeds Quentin’s unstable sense of purpose through his desire to arrest time. Unable to cope with the decline of his family’s legacy, Quentin carries his grandfather’s watch, a symbol of his desire to arrest time. His unstable sense of purpose leads him to feel hopeless, ultimately reflected in his suicide. As products of intergenerational alcoholism, Stephen and Quentin’s perceptions and experiences reflect Joyce and Faulkner’s own struggles as children of alcoholic fathers

IDITAROD’S EFFECT ON MYOTONIC DYSTROPHY TYPE 1 DISEASE PROGRESSION IN A DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER MODEL

Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is caused by CTG-repeat expansion in the DMPK gene, leading to skeletal muscle weakening and wasting. Irisin, a muscle-secreted cytokine released during exercise, promotes muscle growth, repair, and metabolism. Given irisin’s role in promoting muscle growth, we explored how activity-induced Idit expression impacts muscle function in a Drosophila model of DM1. Healthy control (CUG20) and DM1 (CUG250) flies were generated using the UAS-Gal4 system. CUG20 and CUG250 flies underwent a three-week exercise regimen, with the goal of increasing levels of Iditarod protein, the fruit fly homolog of irisin. Following exercise training, muscle function was assessed by climbing velocity (cm/sec) and flight landing height (cm) in a flight cylinder. Significant main effects of sex and exercise were shown observed in climbing velocity; however, data did not show a significant difference between the climbing or flight performance comparing repeat length or exercise. Since large variation in behavioral measures could account for the non-significant results, power analysis was conducted and revealed that the sample size used in this study was too small. Completion of this project at appropriate statistical power will highlight whether exercise-induced expression of myokines like irisin can act as therapeutic targets in DM1

Guilty...or not? Martha Stitt\u27s Theatre Senior Project

This website serves as a curated portfolio of my work and reflections throughout the rehearsal and performance process of 12 Angry Jurors, focusing on my portrayal of Juror 6. It documents my character development, research, rehearsal notes, and performance insights, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the artistic and collaborative journey involved in bringing this role to life. This project focuses on the actor\u27s process, ensemble dynamics, and the themes of justice and moral responsibility at the heart of the play

Eat Your Heart Out: An Adventure in Fiction Book Publishing

For my independent study, I have dived headfirst into the wonderful world of publishing. For the project I have titled: Eat Your Heart Out: An Adventure in Fiction Book Publishing, I have begun the process of publishing my novel, Eat Your Heart Out. In the previous semester, I wrote a book in the fiction seminar class about a trans man who makes a drag club in his dorm room and all the magic that happens along with it. Over the spring and summer, I revised and edited it and got it ready for publishing. With the help of Professor Rafferty, I have been doing my best to get the Google document on my computer out there— to real ink and paper in front of me. This included everything from querying agents to contacting publishers to making an author website and all the lovely submission materials required